Samsung dominated the the global smartphone market during the second quarter of 2025, recording impressive growth and keeping its leading position. Meanwhile Apple struggled in China and saw a modest growth in global iPhone shipments, mostly thanks to emerging markets.
Preliminary numbers from IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker show that Apple has shipped 46.4 million iPhones in Q2, recording a modest growth of 1.5% compared to last year. The company saw 1% decline in shipments in China, but that was offset by strong double-digit gains in emerging regions.
Do you think Apple can keep its second position on the global market?
Yes, it could even beat Samsung for number 1
10.24%
Yes, the iPhone will always be popular
27.71%
No, the Chinese companies will beat it soon
41.57%
No, Apple will surely fail soon
20.48%
Apple is still the second biggest smartphone company in the world with 15.7% market share.
Samsung is the undisputed leader on the market with 19.7% share. The company has shipped 58 million units in the second quarter, which accounts for an impressive 7.9% growth compared to last year. The company’s growth was driven by the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56, which introduced Galaxy AI features to mid-range devices.
Samsung was able to consolidate its market leadership and outperform the overall market achieving strong growth in the quarter driven by the sales of its new Galaxy A36 and A56 products. These new products introduce AI-enabled features to mid-range devices, which has been effectively used in retail stores to drive sales, as more consumers become curious about AI.
Francisco Jeronimo, Vice President, Client Devices, IDC, 14 July 2025
Xiaomi came in third with 42.5 million shipped units and 14.4% market share. The Chinese company’s growth was only 0.6%. Fourth and fifth were vivo (27.1 million shipments) and Transsion (25.1 million shipments).
The overall growth of the smartphone market was only 1% year-over-year, marking some of the challenges it faces. The total shipments for the second quarter were 295.2 million units worldwide. Those results come amid growing uncertainty and economic pressures, such as unemployment and inflation across regions.
Top 5 companies by worldwide smartphone shipments, market share, and annual growth, Q2 2025 | Image credit — IDC
Apple wasn’t the only company struggling in China. According to the IDC report, the lower than expected performance of the Chinese market dragged down the global shipments.
As for what the future holds, IDC is rather positive. The researchers note that Q2 of 2025 was the eighth consecutive quarter of growth, something that hasn’t happened since 2013, and the trend might continue. The drivers of future growth might be AI-powered smartphones and devices in the mid-range segment.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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